Appendix 1 ACTIVITY

Sun Earth Mercury Venus Mars

Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Sun Earth Mercury Venus Mars

Falling Stars
Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Sun Earth Mercury Venus Mars

Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Sun Earth Mercury Venus Mars

Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune

Rosetta’s view of Mars and

the Milky Way

© ESA ©2005 MPS for OSIRIS

Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/
10 The Planets INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA 11
Falling Stars Falling Stars

Learning objectives Activity 1

To: Ask the children to rub their hands together quickly and describe what they notice. Explain that they have
• describe friction as a force acting between two surfaces moving against one another experienced heat produced by a frictional force, just like the heat produced due to friction when a rock
falls through the air (called the atmosphere) surrounding the Earth.
• explain that a falling star is a piece of rock producing a trail of heat and light due 1-2 hours
to friction Next, demonstrate that light can be produced by striking a match. Explain that the light emitted by
• know that a star emits light the match was produced by the force of friction between the match and the surface on which it was
struck. In a similar way, light is emitted by a ‘falling star’ caused by the friction between the rock and
the atmosphere.
Resources
Photograph from Appendix 1 (one copy between two) Activity 2
One box of matches
Explain to the children that occasionally these rocks land on planet Earth and are then called meteorites.
Copy of book, How to Catch a Star, by Oliver Jeffers Meteorites, some very large indeed, have been found in many different places on Earth. Asteroids and
comets have also entered Earth’s atmosphere in the past, some landing on Earth. Show the children the
samples of meteorites from the STFC loan kit, explaining where they have come from. Allow the children
to handle the samples and to make careful observations of their shapes and colours.
Advance preparation
• meteorite samples* (see teacher information) Activity 3
• CD of space-themed music
• prepare a class set of bingo game cards from Appendix 2 The children have discovered that falling stars or shooting stars are not real stars but the light emitted
• laminate copies of the dominoes from Appendix 2 from pieces of rock falling through the atmosphere. Pose the question, ‘What is a real star?’ and ask the
children to discuss and share their ideas. They might suggest that real stars shine constantly, not just
briefly like shooting stars.
Introduction
Encourage the children to use the internet and books to gather more information about stars.
Introduce the lesson by showing the children an image of a falling star using internet images or Appendix 1.
Ask the children to discuss in pairs what they think the images show. What can they see? They may
mention light or fire. Explain that the images show what we call a falling star or shooting star but are really
bits of dust and rock called meteoroids travelling in space. Sometimes these pieces of rock travel toward
planet Earth becoming very hot, emitting light and heat. The light can be seen as a fiery trail in the sky and
we call it a meteor.

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Falling Stars
Plenary
Invite the children to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson by using drama. Ask them to imagine
that they are astronomers and their job is to explain to children why a shooting star isn’t a real star.
Ask the children to work in pairs to tell the story of how a meteoroid becomes a meteor (shooting star)
and then a meteorite. One child is the meteoroid/meteor/meteorite whilst the second child, as the
astronomer, describes what is happening. The children then change roles. Provide the children with key
words such as friction, meteoroid, meteor, star, light, heat, meteorite to include in their explanation.
Reading the storybook, How to Catch a Star, by Oliver Jeffers would be an appropriate conclusion to
the lesson.
Extension
Reinforce the learning by playing games such as bingo or word dominoes, involving the terminology used
in the lesson. A suggested format may be found on Appendix 2.
Using space-themed music as a stimulus, the children work creatively to move around the hall as asteroids
and comets, then meteoroids, and finally as meteors or shooting stars, landing on Earth as meteorites.
Group work could involve one of the group as the Sun, some as stars and others orbiting as meteoroids.
A change of tempo or use of appropriate musical instruments could signal the appearance of a shooting
star or meteorite.
Information for teachers
Asteroids
Asteroids are fragments of rock left over from the formation of the Solar System approximately 4.6
billion years ago. They orbit the Sun in a belt called the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They vary
greatly in size and some have collided with the Earth in the past.
Comets
Comets are relatively small icy balls of dirt that form in the outer Solar System. They vaporise when their
orbit passes close to the Sun, causing them to glow. Some scientists believe that collisions of comets
with Earth long ago may have resulted in water and organic materials being deposited on our planet.
Meteoroids
Collisions between asteroids cause small fragments to be released into the Solar System; comets release
dust particles. These fragments of rock called meteoroids then orbit the Sun. If one approaches Earth’s
atmosphere it will burn, forming a meteor or shooting star.
14 Falling Stars
Falling Stars
Information for teachers
Meteorites
Sometimes a rock is so large that it does not completely burn up in the atmosphere. The remaining
piece falls to Earth, sometimes breaking into smaller fragments. This is known as a meteorite.
Meteorites may vary in size from tiny grains to huge boulders. One of the largest meteorites found on
Earth is the Hoba meteorite from Southwest Africa, weighing approximately 54,000kg. Most meteorites
are iron, stone or stony-iron.
Star
A ball of hot gas and radiation held together by its own gravity.
*Meteorite loan scheme: Samples of Moon rock and meteorites may be borrowed through the Science
& Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Loan Scheme. Valuable samples of Moon rock and soil were
brought back to Earth by NASA’s Apollo astronauts. STFC is the only authorised source for the loan
of this precious material to educational or scientific organisations within the United Kingdom. Five
educational packages are available free of charge (including special security delivery/collection) for
short term loans of lunar samples and meteorites.
The samples were collected during NASA’s manned space missions to the Moon in the late 1960s
and early 1970s. During these missions the Apollo astronauts brought back to earth 382kg of lunar
material. NASA decided to use a small proportion of the rock and soil to develop lunar and planetary
sciences educational packages. Four months’ notice should be given when booking the lunar samples.
For further information and how to apply for a loan, contact STFC’s Public Engagement Team:
Tel: +44 (0)1793 442 030 or see http://www.stfc.ac.uk/1360.aspx
Storybook
The storybook How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers, is published by Harper Collins 2005,
ISBN-10: 0007150342
15
Appendix 1 Appendix 2
1. Bingo game example

Friction Meteoroid

Meteor Shooting star

Star Meteorite

2. Shooting star dominoes game (Cut along the horizontal lines)

A push or pull force

Shooting star between two surfaces

A sphere
Friction of hot gas

A piece of rock travelling

Star through Earth’s atmosphere

A piece of a meteor
Meteor landing on Earth

Icy balls of dirt from

© ESERO Netherlands
Meteorite
the far Solar System

Comet

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